Amoi rides in the kampungs: When East Meets West (Dec 24 2020 - Jan 2 2021); Day 3

Pantai Senok's Lighthouse

Jijah's Nasi Kerabu

Back to our hotel after breakfast and all ready to roll out to Pulau Gajah!

Banana break right after our mosque visit

Kampung Pantai Sabak

The breakwater at Kampung Pantai Sabak

2nd day in Kota Bahru and our 2nd experience of floods

The Team at Pantai Senok

The long walk to the lighthouse

Pantai Senok's Lighthouse

Due to Mindy and Amy's tardiness, we arrived at Restoran Ikan Bakar & Thai Street Food too late! The place was so packed, we decided to have a simple meal opposite the restaurant instead! We got our revenge when we hid from girls. They thought we had left without them !

Damn !!! R.AI.N.I.N.G............and it continued to rain up to our meet up time at 8 am. We had no choice but to change our plans at the eleventh hour. The tall order of the day was breakfast and sustenance we will get no matter by 2 wheels or 2 legs !

Meeting at the lobby, Claudine was shocked by complaints from the men! Henry was getting a free shower while taking a dump while Mr Lim and Mr Liew's bed chamber was leaking from the roof! Thankfully, the hotel manager Puan Siti had dropped by and a quick room transfer was arranged !

Conveniently, LC had dropped by to "drop" Wong's pants and at the same time, her luggage bag for tomorrow's ride. While your mind is reeling over the pants remark, absentminded Wong had left his pants during his stay with her and hence the necessary delivery!

With LC's presence and the availability of 2 support cars , our breakfast location is no longer restricted to walking distances anymore! Everyone were quickly sorted into the 3 cars with the remaining 4 pax to catch a Grab.

As we sorted ourselves according to sizes and built, our Perodua Axia finally arrived for the pick up. Dashing through the rain, Mr Lim, Mindy, Amy and Claudine hurried into the car and were surprised by how roomy the car was!

Meanwhile, we had caught our Grab driver by surprise! Protesting politely, he explained his car can only take a maximum of 2 passengers. We were still unaware of the Covid 19 SOP when we tried to bribe him. Little did we realized, it was a SOP set by Grab to ensure social distancing is observed.

Somehow, we ALL managed to get to Jijah's Nasi Kerabu for their out of this world, super delicious "Rice to Wednesday". Returning to our hotel later, we obligingly obeyed Grab's SOP.

Our plans to visit the floating market at Pulau Suri by boat was shelved when the rain teetered into a light drizzle. Everyone were itching to ride far out. It was no loss as we found out later, the market was closed in accordance to the government's SOP.

Launching Plan C, we took to the roads at 11 am. On Boxing Day and a working day as such, Jalan Pengkalan Chepa recorded heavy traffic.

Stopped at the traffic lights at the intersection with Jalan Long Yunus, amidst the deafening sound of vehicles, we could hear a kitten's meow for help. It was coming from inside a car's engine which had stopped next to us. Checking with the driver, we found out he was aware of the trapped kitten but since unable to lure it out, had driven off all the same! We can only hope it has 9 lives!

Jalan Pengkalan Chepa, right after KFC

Sungai Baung

Traffic quietened down around the industrial estate. We began to relax our pace as we were passing through the Kelantan Golf Course. The meteorological radar on the same road caught everyone's attention while Claudine was particularly puzzled by the fencing of the golf course which were low and broken at some sections.

After the right turn to Jalan Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Chooi had a puncture on her brand new tyres! While everyone had stopped by the kedai runcit to lend a hand, VT and Mindy who were ahead took shelter at the PAS' party office which looked nothing more than a larger bus stop.

Claudine who rode ahead to report on the puncture befriended 2 young boys who were playing "house" in the shelter. Lips sticky from the juices of Maprang, a tiny mango like fruit, they offered them to Claudine as well!

Jalan Sabak overlooking Sungai Raja Gali

Beautiful Route 187's Jalan Sabak

Soon after, we took on single lane kampung roads. Approaching Masjid Ar Rahman from the back gates, asphalt road disappeared, replaced by laterite. Then, the serenity and tranquility of a beautiful traditional mosque set against a mangrove swamp within the smaller river tributary of Peng Datu took over! Completed in 2018, the mosque is indeed a gem, strangely set in a low density kampung environment!

Dirt tracks to the mosque

Fish farm along the way

Looking serene by the river estuaries of Sungai Peng Datu

After the masjid, we proceeded to the seaside, trespassing through someone's property and not before a banana break. When the sea came into sight, we were awed by the huge waves that beat relentlessly at the breakwaters.

It was past 1 pm when we made the feeble attempt to visit the floating market along Jalan Raja Sakti. Along the way, we were further side tracked by a roadside stall selling tuak. This Kelantan version is bottled before the sugar in the coconut sap ferments, thus alcohol free and consumable by Muslims. Besides tuak from coconut, there was another version made from nipah.

The Pasar Tani Terapung along Jalan Raja Sakti was almost empty when we arrived. Only a few sampans remained with no patrons on the floating platform. Even though the closing time was stated as 2 pm, most vendors had left as early as 1.30 pm.

Right after the floating market, we attempted a short cut to Pantai Senok...Oops! U-turn...

...river view...

...that's the road we had came down from earlier...

...Whoaaaa!!! This is too muddy...time to back track, back to Jalan Raja Sakti

Venturing on, we proceeded to Pantai Senok for a leisurely lunch. Dubbed Malaysia's version of "Nami Island", the beach is famous for its casuarina forest. Sitting under the canopy of casuarina trees lulled by the wind, we started nodding away as we waited for our lunch to arrive.

After lunch, we proceeded to Pantai Senok's Lighthouse. Built at the mouth of Sungai Peng Datu, on top a strip of giant boulders which doubles as a breakwater, the walk to the lighthouse is easy for the sure footed. However, it was not a walk in the park for Claudine who thought hopping from one rock to the other felt almost like a game from "Sonic the Hedgehog". She had to keep reminding herself to be careful and not to fall through the crevices as the actual ride challenge has yet to begun!

After Pantai Senok, we returned to Diamond Hotel to drop off those who did not wish to continue with the city tour. Knowing our gluttony habits, no city tour can commence without a good bowl of laksa, downed by icy smooth cendol!

Photo credits :

Amy

Mindy

Cindy

Chooi

Henry

Simon

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Kota Bahru City Tour